Howard & Grazer’s “Mars” Gets An Online Prequel

This November sees National Geographic Channel move into the realm of scripted series with “Mars,” a major drama blending documentary, CG and narrative material into a sweeping saga of exploration and discovery that is set in the future and the present day.

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment and RadicalMedia are behind the project and in an effort to entice viewers, they’ve announced plans for a short-form scripted prequel series to precede the November launch.

“Before Mars” will be an online web series about the stories of two central characters – Joon and Hana Seung, twin sisters on Earth struggling to fit in to the rural town where they have relocated with their mother.

One of them finds a ham radio that allows them to develop a friendship with a female astronaut on the International Space Station. The prequel series, to be directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, will consist of six episodes running three to five minutes.

A specific release date has yet to be set, but a first look will be unveiled Monday at Nat Geo’s digital upfront presentation in New York.